How's the job market for C++ Software Engineers in the UK?

April 7, 2010 5:43 PM

How's the job market for C++ Software Engineers in the UK?

I currently have about 3-4 years experience in a $100k (about 65k GBP) position in a big (-gest) US software company, doing multimedia desktop programming (C++, little to no experience with web services or database oriented stuff)

I'm aware there aren't a lot of Googles/Microsofts in the UK (although there might be small local offices for those), but, in general, how realistic is it to move into the UK and expect to find a job without much of a pay cut (say, at least 55k GBP, maybe a bit less if it's an interesting startup).

I'm not worried about the legal/immigration aspect here (According to the site I qualify for a tier1 visa, that doesn't need a sponsor), I'm interested only on the economic aspect of it.

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (5 answers total)

It's not impossible to get a position outside of London but I'd say it was unlikely.

Striking £65k outside of London however is very unlikely. It's probable that your tax liabilities would increase also.

We're not a software-nation as such, therefore economically, I'd advise against it.
posted by asharchist at 6:13 PM on April 7, 2010

Check out indeed.co.uk and search for positions matching your skills ( you can add £65,000+ to the end of any search term to return a minimum salary). You can search within a radius of any postcode or city as well.

Interestingly, another MeFi user, Mutant, posted to an immigration thread the other day that you only qualify for Tier 1 with a UK Master's after April 1. Don't know if that's fact or not, but something to look into if it would impact you.
posted by qwip at 1:43 AM on April 8, 2010

I think you could get a job in C++, but your salary expectations look very high for the skills you mention. You might get 55-60K, in London, working for an Investment Bank perhaps - but then I would expect you'd need DB skills, or .NET, or you can manage a team maybe.

Outside London I would guess 40K as an upper bound unless you've got another string to your bow.
posted by crocomancer at 4:33 AM on April 8, 2010

A very good IT centric web site is Job Stats. I'm not sure how they source their data, but I've had friends and colleagues who spoke very highly about its value as a resource. As of today they're putting C++ jobs at roughly £54K, so not far off from your target.

Another interesting site is Jobserve. Entering your search criteria shows no shortage of jobs at your price point, however your lack of specific domain experience (in this case Finance) will not figure positively. Still, I didn't explore much off the first page of the search, so YMMV.

Speaking as a long term American ex-pat a few general points about the economic aspects:

• Don't get so focused on the nominal rates of pay; what really counts is overall quality of life and how much it costs to maintain the same standard of living.
• When you move internationally its rare for salaries to directly convert from one nation to another, unless you relocate as a ex-pat, working for a corporation. I've done the ex-pat thing in several countries, and while it looks great on the surface there are almost always strings attached so beware.
• Typically European contracts come with three to four weeks of holiday per year (which you are EXPECTED to take); another factor you'd have to consider when entertaining what at first glance might be perceived as a pay / salary cut.
• There are currently eight bank holidays in the UK; effectively these are holiday days on top of your allotment, so factor this additional time off as well.
• The European Working Time Directive "caps" your work week and day and, although compliance is spotty, does seem to balance work and life better here than back in The States.
• Consider your UK specific tax position carefully; while it won't impact you at £65K a year (yet), that 50% UK bracket is going to ensare more and more people before they retract it (if ever). Also, UK now taxes income globally; if you're got cash flow producing assets stateside the UK will tax these revenue streams at normal (almost always 40%) income rates. On the plus side, capital gains, particularly long term are lower (5%) but still you've gotta pay.
• Taxes on the US side - some $85K dollar equivalent of UK earnings are exempt from US taxes. Earn above that threshold and you'll pay the higher of US and UK taxes on the difference.

Ah eh, Tier 1 Visas (hi qwip!)? Well, there is a fairly stiff recession on in the UK presently and immigration, even legal, has been politicised.

There were announcements from The Home Office about one year ago that US taught Masters were no longer accepted for Tier 1 visas, but paging through to the end of the thread it seems some folks are being granted visas. Suggest you lurk over there to get precise details.

In any case if you're thinking of applying I'd do it NOW. Regardless of who wins, the UK will have a markedly different posture towards immigration in 28 days time. If your paperwork has already been submitted there is a chance you'll be fine even if they restrict legal immigration further.
posted by Mutant at 4:34 AM on April 8, 2010

Whoa, that Job Stats graph illustrates the "fairly stiff recession" very well. Scary.

As for Tier 1 visas, changes got into effect as of April 6 2010, and, according to the points-based calculator, a bachelor degree from outside the UK qualifies for Tier 1 again. Of course, that's just the internets saying, getting the actual visa from the actual border agency is a different story.
posted by The Landscaper of Dorian Gray at 2:34 PM on April 8, 2010